Ormiston College held its first whole-of-sport awards ceremony since before COVID-19 this week, replacing a long-standing arrangement that had seen separate end-of-season events held for some boys’ Firsts sides but not their female counterparts.
The change at the Wellington Point school followed years of pressure from parents and students who argued that girls’ Firsts teams, across sports including netball, hockey, basketball, volleyball, soccer and touch football, were missing out on the same end-of-season recognition afforded to some of their male peers.
How the Disparity Developed
Between 2022 and 2025, the college ran formal sports awards assemblies that recognised all teams. Alongside those assemblies, however, some boys’ Firsts sides including rugby and football held their own additional stand-alone celebrations, organised through Parent Support Groups. Requests from girls’ teams for comparable events were not approved.
Parents, who did not wish to be named, said frustration had been building for more than a year. Students raised the issue directly with senior staff as early as September 2024, seeking comparable recognition for female Firsts teams, but those approaches did not produce an outcome at the time.
The college acknowledged the gap, saying that while formal recognition had been consistently applied across all teams, the additional celebrations for some boys’ sides created perceptions of inconsistency. “This understanding has informed the decision to adopt a single, standardised model for sporting awards,” the college said in a statement.
What the New Model Looks Like
The new structure introduces two formal recognition events across the sporting calendar: a First Team Jersey Presentation Assembly at the start of each season and a whole-of-sport awards ceremony at its conclusion. All teams, including Firsts sides, will be recognised under the same framework, covering captaincy honours, most valuable player awards, team achievements and Year 12 acknowledgments, applied on consistent criteria across sports and genders.
Dean of Activities Jack Pincott communicated the change to families ahead of Wednesday’s event, noting the ceremony would be held “for the first time in a long time,” signalling the shift away from the fragmented approach of recent years.
When Recognition Matters as Much as the Result
For families in the Wellington Point and Ormiston community, sport is not a peripheral part of school life. Ormiston College claimed the Overall Champion School title in The Associated Schools competition for three consecutive years to 2025, with particular strength across volleyball, athletics and swimming.
That sporting culture is precisely why the recognition question mattered. End-of-season celebrations are where effort gets acknowledged, not just in trophies but in the shared experience of being seen. For the girls and their families who campaigned from September 2024, the objective was simple: they sought the same level of recognition already granted to some of the boys’ teams.
Reaction within the community to the new format has not been uniform. Supporters of the change argue it removes an inconsistency that should not have existed, and that a unified model is more respectful of every team’s contribution. Critics, including at least one student who described the outcome as “lowering the bar to gain equality,” argue it removes the opportunity for standout teams to be celebrated individually rather than within a broader ceremony.
The college rejected any suggestion of deliberate inequity, maintaining that the additional boys’ celebrations had been community-organised rather than school-directed, and that formal recognition had always been applied consistently across all teams.
More Information
Families with questions about enrolment and the new sporting recognition structure can contact Ormiston College directly at their site or by phone on 07 3820 1200.
Published 02-April-2026
Featured Image Credit: Ormiston College/Google Maps
